Dueling Immigration Rallies In Fort Collins

Some have already offered their reasons for attending tomorrow's activities in Downtown Denver, including this man:

Denver-area contractor Chuck Saxton, who hires temporary workers through the day labor agency El Centro Humanitario, said he suspects some of his crews have been illegal immigrants.

"I'm going to go to support them. These guys come here, they work hard and they're honest. They're salt of the earth," Saxton said. "They provide a vibrancy to our economy and our country that is fading."

People like Saxton, who exploit the cheap labor supplied by illegal immigrants while decrying those who oppose unlawfully coming to the United States and support penalties for those who employ such persons, are at the root of the immigration crisis. Better enforcement and penalizations for contractors, hotel management, construction, and food services who employ illegal immigrants is only the first step in securing our borders. Without the economic incentive to come to the US, by denying the readily available work provided by Saxton and others, the tide would begin to diminish, and those already here would be forced to pursue the proper channels for legal status, or return home.

Once again, no one denies that a majority of those here illegally do work very hard, for poor wages, and for lengthy time periods. They are, however, not taking jobs that "Americans won't do", they are simply replacing the willing Americans who simply won't or can't (minimum wage laws) take the job for the low price. Saxton can hire or help others hire cheap immigrant labor, giving those here a reason to stay, and enticing still others to make the arduous journey here. Of course, it is in his interest to rally in support of his workers, not only for their sake, but also for his.

Legal Status, ¡Sí!, Assimilation, ¡No!

This is not about becoming citizens, or gaining respect--not to mention that all too inconvenient legal status--it is about "reconquista" of the Southwest United States. The "Star Spanglish Banner" and the waving of Mexican flags--Mexitude.

The rallies and "Gran Boicot" should be very insightful tomorrow, and perhaps a glimpse of more civil unrest to come unless something very real and very clear is done to stem the tide of illegal immigration and anti-assimilationist entitlement.

April 28, 2006

U.S. Economy Still Expanding at Rapid Pace, Despite MSM's Best Efforts

An example of how good economic news is spun negatively by the NYTimes (who else?):

Gas prices are rising, as are mortgage rates. House prices in many once-hot markets have started slipping. The American automobile industry shows no sign of recovery. And the paychecks of most workers have not even kept up with inflation over the last four years.

Yet the national economy continues to speed ahead, with families and businesses spending money at an impressive pace. Forecasters expect the Commerce Department to report this morning that the economy grew at a rate of around 5 percent in the first quarter, the biggest increase since 2003.

The industries leading the way are ones that have been receiving far less attention than cars or real estate, though they have been adding thousands of new workers each month. In the last year, hospitals, doctors' offices and other health care employers have created almost 300,000 jobs; restaurants have added 230,000; and local governments — including schools — have added 170,000.

"The good news for the U.S. is that growth has diversified," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight, an economic research firm. "We aren't just relying on the consumer and housing."

Just imagine how the article would play, if the first paragraph was moved down, past the three positive paragraphs. Drop the "Yet" and the article's thrust becomes a net positive, as most people rarely read an entire article, only an abstract or the first few paragraphs to get the general idea of the story (which is why they hammer the "inverted pyramid" style in j-schools). Instead of impending glood and doom, the article would appear thus:

The national economy continues to speed ahead, with families and businesses spending money at an impressive pace. Forecasters expect the Commerce Department to report this morning that the economy grew at a rate of around 5 percent in the first quarter, the biggest increase since 2003.

The industries leading the way are ones that have been receiving far less attention than cars or real estate, though they have been adding thousands of new workers each month. In the last year, hospitals, doctors' offices and other health care employers have created almost 300,000 jobs; restaurants have added 230,000; and local governments — including schools — have added 170,000.

"The good news for the U.S. is that growth has diversified," said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at Global Insight, an economic research firm. "We aren't just relying on the consumer and housing."

This positive economic news comes despite rising gas prices and mortgage rates. House prices in many once-hot markets have started slipping. The American automobile industry shows no sign of recovery. And the paychecks of most workers have not even kept up with inflation over the last four years.

Makes a difference, does it not? In order to give credibility to the more sour version of the economic situation, the authors trot out the line that "many professional economists and ordinary Americans expect economic growth to slow in the rest of the year, surveys show". All that job growth and a hot economy--5%--might taper, but in the realm of the fashionable left, a good economy under a Republican President and Congress is good only for the "rich". Only Clinton was able to have an economic boom that helped all. Right.

Republicans In Need Of Advice

Electoral College Under Attack Again

This time from the intellectual powerhouses currently in holding the Colorado Senate (from Mike Rosen's column):

In 2004, Colorado voters, by a 2-to-1 ratio, soundly defeated Amendment 36, a measure that would have broken with tradition to split our state's nine electoral votes on a proportional basis. This was a scheme concocted by Democrats hoping to salvage a few electoral votes in a state where George W. Bush was expected to win them all. Well, it's 2006, and they're b-a-a-c-k.

This time it's a frontal assault on the Electoral College in the form of Senate Bill 223, which recently passed by a vote of 20-15, with all 18 Democrats and 2 misguided Republicans out of 17 supporting it. The bill would pledge Colorado to cast all its Electoral College votes to whichever presidential candidate gets the most popular votes nationally, regardless of who gets the most votes in our state.

Colorado would be part of an interstate compact that would take effect when enough other states joined to constitute an Electoral College majority. In other words, Coloradans would sacrifice their own choice for president to the goal of circumventing the Electoral College. By this scheme, the Electoral College would be effectively neutralized and the president would be elected strictly on the basis of the national popular vote.

For example, let's say 70 percent of Coloradans in 2008 vote for John McCain, 5 percent for Ralph Nader, and 25 percent for Hillary Clinton. Hillary carries only 15 states, losing 35. But she racks up enough votes in New York, California and Illinois to give her a plurality of the total national popular vote. Consequently, the will of Coloradans is defied and our Electoral College votes are given to Hillary. The same thing happens to other states that joined this compact and Hillary becomes president.

Undisturbed by the failure of Amendment 36 and apparently unaware that in 2004 George W. Bush actually received the plurality of popular votes (therefore defeating John F. Kerry twice), the usual gang of idiots trots out yet another ploy to circumvent the Electoral College. Not to mention that with few exceptions the Electoral College has corresponded with the meaningless national popular vote, these activists in legislators' clothing refuse to tackle the subject directly. Knowing that a Constitutional amendment would never pass (too many small states vs. Texas, California, New York, et al.) they try the backdoor option, by committing the electoral votes of Colorado to whomever receives the--once more for clarity--meaningless popular vote. Had this plan been in effect in 2004, Bush would have been reelected easily (a nearly 3 million advantage in votes). Democrats and liberals know that the urban centers lean left, and would love to take advantage of that by favoring concentrations of populations in urban areas over "flyover" country--the rural, Southern and especially Western part of the United States.

Gearing Up For Monday's Rally

May 1 should be an eventful day here in Denver, as it no doubt will be across the country. Thousands plan on attending the rally, as in this report from CBS4 (video):

(CBS4) FORT COLLINS, Colo. The Latino community is gearing up for what could be the largest rally in Denver's history. About 50,000 people who oppose the recent immigration reform proposals are expected to miss work and school to rally at the steps of the capitol on May 1.

Jessica Sanchez, part of a mostly Hispanic housekeeping staff at the Hilton hotel in Fort Collins, said she's going to miss work to attend the rally.

"We're fighting for better rights, for everybody to be treated fairly, not like criminals," Sanchez said.

The hotel is like many businesses across Colorado, preparing to lose Hispanic employees on the day of the rally. Of the 30 employees in the hotel laundry room, 25 are Hispanic and all of them asked for Monday off.

"It's a good cause, they believe in it, they're passionate about it," said Ken Somday, the general manager of the Hilton.

He said with nearly half of his staff gone on Monday, managers will fill in for them.

"I'll be doing some rooms," Somday said. "I'll be working with my schedule. I'll be the executive housekeeper and we'll be cleaning rooms that day."

Enforcement of immigration laws begins with holding employers to account, no doubt something Mr. Somday would oppose. The article did not say how many of the staff were legally here, and if so, they would be more than within their rights to protest.

Meanwhile, others had their own rally Thursday, to cut off non-emergency state services to those here illegally (video):

DENVER -- Backers of a measure to block illegal immigrants from non-emergency government services gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Thursday afternoon to rally support for their cause.

The proposal to keep these services off-limits to illegal immigrants is being challenged in the state Supreme Court.

Nevertheless, the group Defend Colorado Now is going forward with a plan to collect signatures to let voters decide if there should be such a ban. About 150 people gathered at the Capitol to kick off the drive for 68,000 signatures -- the number of signatures needed to get the issue on the November ballot.

Former Gov. Dick Lamm was among the speakers at the rally. He blasted what he said are liberals who wanted open borders and businesses who want cheap labor.

"I believe this is a defining time in American history. Either we have a border or we don't have a border," Lamm said to loud applause. "A country without a border isn't a country."

That should be the quote for the opposition to illegal immigration, and a rallying cry. Find out more about Defend Colorado Now, and how to sign/distribute a petition. Holtzman's folks were out there, and shouts of "Tancredo!" punctuated the rally:

Ina Bailey, a retired teacher from Colorado Springs, attended the rally and plans to help collect signatures.

"I don't want to become the United States of Mexico," said the German immigrant.

Bailey criticized illegal immigrants because "instead of coming to this country and having a deep desire to be an American citizen and learn English and assimilate into this society, they don't want to assimilate. They want us to learn Spanish."

Michelle Malkin has some interesting links to LA school district internal documents, as well as letters to parents and employees on how to handle Monday's festivities. Also some race-baiting from La Voz de Aztlanand links to the "Star-Spanglish Banner".

On The Agenda: United 93

There are those who question the timing of this project and the painful memories it evokes. Clearly, the film portrays the reality of the attack on our homeland and its terrible consequences. Often we attend movies to escape reality and fantasize a bit. In this case and at this time, it is appropriate to get a dose of reality about this war and the real enemy we face. It is not too soon for this story to be told, seen and heard. But it is too soon for us to become complacent. It is too soon for us to think of this war in only national terms. We need to be mindful that this enemy, who made those holes in our landscape and caused the deaths of some 3,000 of our fellow free people, has a vision to personally kill or convert each and every one of us. This film reminds us that this war is personal. This enemy is on a fanatical mission to take away our lives and liberty--the liberty that has been secured for us by those whose names are on those walls in Battery Park and so many other walls and stones throughout this nation. This enemy seeks to take away the free will that our Creator has endowed in us. Patrick Henry got it right some 231 years ago. Living without liberty is not living at all.

The passengers and crew of United 93 had the blessed opportunity to understand the nature of the attack and to launch a counterattack against the enemy. This was our first successful counterattack in our homeland in this new global war--World War III.

This film further reminds us of the nature of the enemy we face. An enemy who will stop at nothing to achieve world domination and force a life devoid of freedom upon all. Their methods are inhumane and their targets are the innocent and unsuspecting. We call this conflict the "War on Terror." This film is a wake-up call. And although we abhor terrorism as a tactic, we are at war with a real enemy and it is personal.

There are those who would hope to escape the pain of war. Can't we just live and let live and pretend every thing is OK? Let's discuss, negotiate, reason together. The film accurately shows an enemy who will stop at nothing in a quest for control. This enemy does not seek our resources, our land or our materials, but rather to alter our very way of life.

I encourage my fellow Americans and free people everywhere to see "United 93."

Be reminded of our very real enemy. Be inspired by a true story of heroic actions taken by ordinary people with victorious consequences. Be thankful for each precious day of life with a loved one and make the most of it. Resolve to take the right action in the situations of life, whatever they may be. Resolve to give thanks and support to those men, women, leaders and commanders who to this day (1,687 days since Sept. 11, 2001) continue the counterattacks on our enemy and in so doing keep us safe and our freedoms intact.

April 27, 2006

Delegate To The State Republican Convention

Woohoo! Say hello to the delegate from Northwest Denver.

Of course, having never been to one of these, it remains to be seen how worthwhile the whole thing will be, but seeing democracy in action can be amusing. Not sure if staying in Colorado Springs is on the agenda, but perhaps the lure of a hike to nearby Garden of the Gods or a visit to the Air Force Academy might provide added incentive.

ColoradoPols has some interesting thoughts on the state races, including current odds for all races.

Thoughts on the race? Leave a note in the comments. . .or vote in the poll located underneath the blogads--it'll be up until the convention on May 20.

To people who take the threat of global warming personally, driving a car that spews heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere can be a guilt trip.

But to help atone for that environmental sin, some drivers are turning to groups on the Internet that offer pain-free ways to assuage their guilt while promoting clean energy.

It involves buying something known as a carbon offset: a relatively inexpensive way to stimulate the production of clean electricity. Just go to one of several carbon-offset Web sites, calculate the amount of carbon dioxide produced when you drive, fly or otherwise burn fossil fuels, and then buy an offset that pays for an equivalent amount of clean energy.

Of course, emissions could be reduced the old-fashioned way — by flying less, turning off the air-conditioning or buying a more fuel-efficient car. But that would probably require some sacrifice and perhaps even a change in lifestyle. Instead, carbon-offset programs allow individuals to skip the sacrifice and simply pay for the right to pollute.

"To some extent, it's a way for people to buy their way into heaven," said Chip Giller, who is president of Grist.org, an online environmental magazine. "On the other hand, this is such a big macro problem that this is one of the few things people can do to really make a difference."

RIGHT! Even if the goal was admirable (reducing carbon emissions so as not to exacerbate "global warming") the method is laughable. Like the indulgences that so enraged Martin Luther, this way of ameliorating one's guilt by "buying" cleaner alternatives is laughable, and nothing more than a product of instant gratification and the kind of self-loathing that the left/environmentalists bank on for support.

April 25, 2006

Allowing Non-Citizens (Illegal Immigrants) To Vote

This from a college professor of political science, no doubt yet another liberal hack shilling for the Democratic Party, which no doubt would gain immensely if "non-citizens" were allowed to vote. Yes, that would include illegal immigrants and any other "undocumented" folks out there--the argument is provided here in all its tortuous, mind-numbing glory:

The growing immigrant rights movement has brought immigrants' struggle for political power center stage. The way to give non-citizens more political power would be to give them the vote. But voting is only for citizens, right? Not really.

Although it's not widely known, noncitizen voting is as old as the Republic itself and as American as apple pie and baseball. Noncitizens voted from 1776 until 1926 in forty states and federal territories in local, state and even federal elections. Noncitizens also held public office. In a country where "no taxation without representation" was a rallying cry for revolution, such a proposition was not far-fetched. It was common sense that government should rest on the consent of the governed. The idea that noncitizens should have the vote is older, was practiced longer, and is more consistent with democratic ideals than the idea that they should not.

Historically, voting and citizenship worked both ways. The right to vote has never been intrinsically tied to citizenship, which is why women and African Americans -- who were citizens -- were widely denied the vote until 1920 and 1965, respectively. Voting has always been about who has a say and who will have influence over the actions of government.

This historical precedent is making a comeback in some circles today. Currently, noncitizens vote in local elections in six towns in Maryland and in Chicago school elections. Over the past decade, noncitizen voting campaigns have been launched in at least a dozen jurisdictions from coast to coast, including Washington D.C., California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Most recently, New York City Council members submitted a bill that would grant the right to vote to legal noncitizens in all local elections. This legislation is gaining significant support and is feeding another avenue of debate about the newcomers, the nature of citizenship, and the future of democracy in America.

Non-citizens work in every sector of the economy, own homes and businesses, attend colleges and send children to schools, pay billions in taxes each year and make countless social and cultural contributions. They're subject to all the laws that govern citizens, serve in the military and die defending the United States.

Their numbers are staggering. Nationally, about 23 million adults are barred from voting because they lack U.S. citizenship. In some districts -- and whole cities and towns -- non-citizens make up 25 to 50 percent of all voting-age residents. Adult non-citizens in Los Angeles make up more than a third of the voting-age population; in New York City, they're 22 percent of adults. In many places immigrant political exclusion approximates the level of disenfranchisement associated with women prior to 1920 and African Americans before the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Discriminatory public policy and private practices -- in employment, housing, education, healthcare, welfare and criminal justice -- are the inevitable by-products of immigrant political exclusion, not to mention racial profiling, xenophobic hate crimes and arbitrary detention and deportation. Non-citizens suffer social and economic inequities, in part because policy-makers can ignore their interests. Denying immigrants local voting rights makes government officials less accountable and undermines the legitimacy of public policies. Immigrant voting rights would help reverse inequities and make the American political system more democratic.

Most immigrants want to become U.S. citizens, but the naturalization process can take eight to ten years. That's more than the cycle for two-term mayors, governors and state and local representatives. Moreover, not all immigrants are eligible to become U.S. citizens, unlike earlier times when nearly every immigrant could naturalize.

Advocates of noncitizen voting support opening up the naturalization process and creating new pathways to citizenship. Noncitizen voting would facilitate civic education and participation and better prepare incipient Americans for eventual citizenship. This burgeoning movement to create a truly universal suffrage calls forth America's past and future as an immigrant nation.

The right to vote ensures that American democracy is inclusive and fair. Extending the right to vote to noncitizens would help keep government representative, responsive and accountable to all. It would not only restore a tried and true American practice but would also update our democracy for these global times. The immigrant rights movement is today's civil rights movement and noncitizen voting is the suffrage movement of our time.

So allowing those who came to this country illegally--the vast majority of the "non-citizens" described here--would make democracy more "inclusive and fair". How about keeping government accountable to those who are already citizens, by enforcing the laws, representing those that elected them, and responsive to the millions who voted, donated, and campaigned to put their sorry rear-ends in office? Illegal immigrants have no claim to civil rights privileges apart from fair treatment, which does not extend to voting rights. The concept of illegal immigrant suffrage is just another attempt to destroy the sovereignty of the state, and deny the current citizens of that state fair and equal treatment before the law.

The image of the "suffering" immigrant is hard to picture these days, as the current rallies for illegal immigrants across the country show little in the way of humble, hard-working and law abiding potential citizens, and rather a sea of demanding activists whose only allegiance, now or in the future, is to another country, either Mexico or the fictitious "Aztlan". Not all illegal immigrants are from Mexico, and not all of those from Mexico are illegal immigrants, this is certain. On the other hand, that "non-citizens" who merely happen to be breaking the laws on immigration but are presented as net providers (paying taxes, doing jobs Americans won't do) rather than net receivers, and thus are eligible--no, deserving of rights currently denied them by a vicious government and racist population--for voting rights simply boggles the mind. Portable democracy? Does a republic cease to exist when it is no longer only citizens who have a say? The left always envisioned the destruction of the nation-state as a way toward the people's government. . .

Suspect Eminent Domain Bill Voted Down

It appears a "backdoor" amendment would have allowed municipalities to continue to use eminent domain to clear "blighted" properties, thus reducing the efficacy of the proposal:

DENVER -- Lawmakers killed a plan Monday that would have asked voters to limit the government's power to condemn private property, with the sponsor saying he hoped the issue would be put on the November ballot some other way.

Rep. Al White, R-Winter Park, said an amendment would have allowed municipalities to continue using eminent domain to condemn property to eliminate blight. White said that would still allow local governments to seize property for economic development, which he and others consider an abuse.

White compared his bill to Old Yeller, the doomed dog of book and movie fame: "It's been bitten by a rabid skunk and I've got to put it down. I can't let this dog out of the courtyard and let it bite somebody else," he told colleagues.

The House voted 60-4 to kill the bill by postponing it until a day after the Legislature adjourns. White said he now supports an initiative being prepared by citizen groups for the November ballot that would imposes strict limits on the power of eminent domain.

Denver An Early Frontrunner For Dem 2008 Convention

The 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver is closer to becoming a potential reality, or so Mike Littwin of the Rocky Mountain News says:

And Denver threw its party here at the spring meeting of the Democratic National Committee. It was held to try to convince delegates that Denver would be the perfect place to hold the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Denver did everything right. There was a great band. There was free food. There was free drink. There was a lot of free food. And a lot of free drink.

There were giant photos displayed right out of a Colorado travel brochure. Imagine a concert at Red Rocks, Mayor John Hickenlooper told a cheering crowd, which seemed quite enthusiastic. Of course, it might have been the champagne. It might have been the goodies bag. It might have been the door prize: two free United Airlines tickets, which presumably could be used to fly two people to a Denver convention.

Most people I talked to here have said Denver was a serious contender. Most put the city in the top three, although it was difficult to pin anyone down as to who the other two might be. Maybe Anaheim. Maybe Vegas.

Clearly, though, it's the right time for Denver, which also made a pitch in 2000. "That was a total stretch," said Chris Gates, who was here to make the Denver pitch. "We were telling people how convenient hotel rooms were in Wyoming."

The Mountain West is obviously a potential growth area for Democrats, who apparently need some. If you take out your handy red-blue divide map, you see that Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada are all swing states that swung red last time. It's the same argument Colorado used here to make a pitch to become a caucus state in what may be a new Democratic primary schedule - with another caucus after Iowa and before the New Hampshire primary.

The Democrats are looking for an early state with diversity and potential. And the convention could be looking for someplace with FasTracks and a big airport and a newly remodeled convention center and the Pepsi Center and diversity and potential and, well, nobody has to sell you. You already live in Colorado. And you know you can hold a convention these days and no one has to stay in Wyoming.

I talked to two Democratic committeemen from Massachusetts who said they were just talking about Denver's chances. Everyone, said David O'Brien, "is high on Denver."

SHOCK: CU Tenure Procedures Imperfect

A much-anticipated independent study of tenure at the University of Colorado found dozens of areas that need fixing, from professors who got the lifetime job protection despite poor evaluations to post-tenure reviews that aren't rigorous enough.

The report released Monday lists 39 recommendations for change - suggestions that Mark Heckler, a CU provost, said would equal "a fairly substantial rewrite of how we do business."

CU's tenure procedures, under intense scrutiny after the Ward Churchill debacle last year, are released just ahead of Churchill's report due out in early May. Conspiracy theorists might suggest that the timing is less than coincidental, and that the overall findings, though imperfect, can be spun as nothing out of the ordinary. Certainly more fuel for Churchill and his mouthpiece, David Lane.

Calls For English Only Government Documents In Colorado

DENVER - A state representative wants all government documents in Colorado to be printed in English.

The State House Committee is discussing the proposal Tuesday.

Republican Representative Dave Schultheis of Colorado Springs, wants all official state documents to be in English. "I believe that's necessary, there is a tendency right now in our society to start to use two, three different kinds of languages," says Schultheis.

He says his English-only proposal will unite with a common language.

"So we can actually encourage people to learn the English language, I think for the most part, most us would tend to opt out to what our native language is, just because it's easier, but in the end, that does not help that citizen to be productive in our society," Schultheis says.

Of course, a democratic opponent could not hesitate to raise the "race" card, and impugn those who support English as "racist":

"Is it the old message of the KKK, supremacist," says Democratic Representative Val Vigil of Thornton, "a pure nation. Is that what we're all about? Where we're headed, that's not what America is all about."

"The whole issue of it is, there are some consequences we need to look at," says Vigil, "what happens when the communication, when it doesn't happen, when an emergency happens, when somebody dies, who's going be liable for it? There are humane issues that we deal with in here."

The measure has a long way to go. It will have to be approved by the majority in committee Tuesday, then two thirds of the House and the Senate will have to approve it before it can go on the ballot for voters to decide on in November.

Nothing To Fear But The Climate Change Alarmists

Do you worry? You look like you do. Worrying is the way the responsible citizen of an advanced society demonstrates his virtue: He feels good by feeling bad.

But what to worry about? Iranian nukes? Nah, that's just some racket cooked up by the Christian fundamentalist Bush and his Zionist buddies to give Halliburton a pretext to take over the Persian carpet industry. Worrying about nukes is so '80s. "They make me want to throw up. . . . They make me feel sick to my stomach," wrote the British novelist Martin Amis, who couldn't stop thinking about them 20 years ago. In the intro to a collection of short stories, he worried about the Big One and outlined his own plan for coping with a nuclear winter wonderland:

"Suppose I survive," he fretted. "Suppose my eyes aren't pouring down my face, suppose I am untouched by the hurricane of secondary missiles that all mortar, metal and glass has abruptly become: Suppose all this. I shall be obliged (and it's the last thing I feel like doing) to retrace that long mile home, through the firestorm, the remains of the thousands-miles-an-hour winds, the warped atoms, the groveling dead. Then -- God willing, if I still have the strength, and, of course, if they are still alive -- I must find my wife and children and I must kill them."

But the Big One never fell. And instead of killing his wife Martin Amis had to make do with divorcing her. Back then it was just crazies like Reagan and Thatcher who had nukes, so you can understand why everyone was terrified. But now Kim Jong-Il and the ayatollahs have them, so we're all sophisticated and relaxed about it, like the French hearing that their president's acquired a couple more mistresses. Martin Amis hasn't thrown up a word about the subject in years. To the best of my knowledge, he has no plans to kill the present Mrs. Amis.

So what should we worry about? How about -- stop me if you've heard this one before -- "climate change"? That's the subject of Al Gore's new movie, ''An Inconvenient Truth.'' Like the trailer says: "If you love your planet -- if you love your children -- you have to see this movie." Even if you were planning to kill your children because you don't want them to live in a nuclear wasteland, see this movie. The mullahs won't get a chance to nuke us because, thanks to rising sea levels, Tehran will be under water. The editor of the New Yorker, David Remnick, says the Earth will "likely be an uninhabitable planet." The archbishop of Canterbury, in a desperate attempt to cut the Anglican Communion a slice of the Gaia-worship self-flagellation action, demands government "coercion" on everything from reduced speed limits to ending cheap air travel "if we want the global economy not to collapse and millions, billions of people to die."

(AP) DENVER Waving U.S. and Mexican flags and clogging busy streets, about 1,000 high school students and adults descended on the state Capitol Wednesday for a rally to support immigrant rights, police said.

Marchers jammed inbound lanes of Speer Boulevard, a major route to downtown, and temporarily blocked other intersections as they crossed, but no problems were reported, police spokeswoman Virginia Quinones said.

"We are not trying to hurt your country," said Jorge Macias, a high school sophomore who said he is a U.S. citizen. "It is big enough for everyone."

Other students carried Puerto Rican and Cuban flags. Many wore white; they were joined by some adults, many of them dressed in red.

Once again, if the students and proponents of more open immigration want to find the one way to bring even more opposition, deepen the political divide, and increase the rancor of an already inflamed debate, it is by flying the flags of foreign countries, especially the People's Republic--and socialist paradise--of Cuba.

Colorado Governor Bill Owens made a rather insightful observation on the timing of the student walkout:

Gov. Bill Owens, who was not at the Capitol at the time of the rally, said he believes the students are sincere but found it "odd" that they only demonstrate on school days.

"I'd be much more impressed if I saw these students out marching on a Saturday," he said.

At least one previous rally was on a Saturday, when more than 50,000 gathered in downtown Denver on March 25, but that was not student-organized demonstration.

Arvizu Derr, 17, a junior at West High School who helped organize Wednesday's event, said students had spread the word with mobile-phone text messages, Internet posts and fliers.

About 40 state troopers were standing by at the Capitol but the rally was peaceful, Master Trooper Ron Watkins said.

April 19, 2006

Allard Named Top 5 Worst Senators By Time

Wayne Allard (Colorado): "The Invisible Man" -- In a Senate full of ambitious members, Colorado Republican Wayne Allard is so bland that his critics have dubbed him "Dullard." Now in his 10th year, Allard almost never plays a role in major legislation, even though he's on two key Senate committees, Budget and Appropriations. His kind of anonymity makes him one of the least influential senators, Time reports.

Time says that Allard's influence is minimal--apparently he does not bloviate, rant, and flip-flop sufficiently as a Senator. Doing this more often, as well as espousing the magazine's liberal political might leanings might earn him a place on the Top 10 list next year, with such luminaries as:

Dick Durbin (Illinois): "The Debater" -- On issues from immigration reform to judicial nominees, the Illinois Democrat frequently engages in public back-and-forth with his Senate colleagues in hearings and before votes -- and rarely uses notes to do it. And while the debates don't often change the votes of other members, Durbin's tough questioning of his colleagues and his willingness to defend his proposals clarify and distill complicated issues for the C-SPAN-viewing public, Time reports.

Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts): "The Dealmaker" -- Over 43 years in the Senate, Democrat Ted Kennedy has fought serial battles on behalf of the working class -- from defending overtime pay and workplace-safety regulations to expanding health care and penalizing discrimination. But the key to his legacy is not that he is determined to stick up for his principles. It's that he is willing to compromise on them, Time reports.

Not to be included with the likes of Durbin and Kennedy is an honor in itself, but as Allard's record shows, he has done a great deal for the state of Colorado:

In response to Time magazine's article, Sean Conway of Sen. Wayne Allard's office said, "I believe the vast majority of Coloradans would respectfully disagree with what the magazine had to say.

"The U.S. Senate is comprised of two types of individuals: work horses and show horses. Senator Allard is proud to be a work horse who is more interested in getting things done for Colorado than getting attention from the national media.

"Senator Allard’s work in getting things done for Colorado over the last nine years speaks for itself, whether it is the successful clean up and closure of Rocky Flats, passage of his legislation to create the nation’s newest national park, the Great Sand Dunes National Park, passage of the American Dream Downpayment Act or his successful efforts to ensure Colorado received the highest increase of any state in transportation funding in last year's highway bill. These are but a few of his many accomplishments.

"As a member of the GOP whip team since 2003, a selected group of only 10 members, Senator Allard works very closely with the Senate leadership, which allows him to quietly get things accomplished for Colorado.

"His record of accomplishments is why Coloradans re-elected him by a wide margin in 2002 and why Senator Allard's office is the go-to office for Coloradans who care about getting things done for the state."

Missing Another Day Of Class

DENVER -- Metro area school districts are bracing for what could be a massive student walkout Wednesday.

The students who say they will be involved told 7NEWS they are walking out to protest immigration reform. Administrators in two of the largest school districts are meeting with principals and police to prepare for the expected walkout.

Students are expected to march from their school to the Capitol, a school district spokeswoman said.

A permit has already been granted for what could be a very large student demonstration starting at 9:15 a.m.

Numbers could be as high as 25,000-50,000 or as low as a couple of thousand. We'll know in a few hours. . .

Staying Republican Or Else

Suppose the people outraged at not getting their way on everything they demand, along with certain one-issue voters who wouldn’t support Jesus Christ if He didn’t say the right things on their key issue, either stay home, vote for a third-party candidate, or even vote for the Democrat to “send a message” all manage to influence the 2006 mid-term elections. . .

. . .[The consequences]:* Desertion of our allies.

* Reversing judicial reform.

* Abandoning even the pretext of Social Security and Medicare reform.

* Higher taxes across the board for working people.

* Laws perverted to sell out the country for political support by criminals.

* Surrender to terrorists.

* The abolition of free public forums to redress media lies.

All because some folks didn’t get everything they wanted, and so a message was sent. Whatever is intended, if such a message is delivered in November, the content will be “Rape America”.

Vote as you please in the primaries. By all means be part of the process and make your voice heard. But when it comes time to decide the course for the nation, don’t think punishing Republicans will lead to anything good or noble.

The Democrats are evil and dangerous enough already. Only a great fool would chance giving them back the government. A great angry fool.

April 16, 2006

Happy Easter--He is not here, He is risen!

During last night’s great Vigil we relived the decisive and ever-present event of the Resurrection, the central mystery of the Christian faith. Innumerable Paschal candles were lit in churches, to symbolize the light of Christ which has enlightened and continues to enlighten humanity, conquering the darkness of sin and death for ever. And today there re-echo powerfully the words which dumbfounded the women on the morning of the first day after the Sabbath, when they came to the tomb where Christ’s body, taken down in haste from the Cross, had been laid. Sad and disconsolate over the loss of their Master, they found the great stone rolled away, and when they entered they saw that his body was no longer there. As they stood there, uncertain and bewildered, two men in dazzling apparel surprised them, saying: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he is risen” (Lk 24:5-6). “Non est hic, sed resurrexit” (Lk 24:6). Ever since that morning, these words have not ceased to resound throughout the universe as a proclamation of joy which spans the centuries unchanged and, at the same time, charged with infinite and ever new resonances.

“He is not here . . . he is risen.” The heavenly messengers announce first and foremost that Jesus “is not here”: the Son of God did not remain in the tomb,because it was not possible for him to be held prisoner by death (cf. Acts 2:24) and the tomb could not hold on to “the living one” (Rev 1:18) who is the very source of life. Like Jonah in the belly of the whale, so too Christ crucified was swallowed up into the heart of the earth (cf. Mt 12:40) for the length of a Sabbath. Truly, “that Sabbath was a high day”, as Saint John tells us (Jn 19:31): the highest in history, because it was then that the “Lord of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:8) brought to fulfilment the work of creation (cf. Gen 2:1-4a), raising man and the entire cosmos to the glorious liberty of the children of God (cf. Rom 8:21). When this extraordinary work had been accomplished, the lifeless body was suffused with the living breath of God and, as the walls of the tomb were shattered, he rose in glory. That is why the angels proclaim “he is not here”, he can no longer be found in the tomb. He made his pilgrim way on earth among us, he completed his journey in the tomb as all men do, but he conquered death and, in an absolutely new way, by an act of pure love, he opened the earth, threw it open towards Heaven.

His resurrection becomes our resurrection, through Baptism which “incorporates” us into him. The prophet Ezekiel had foretold this: “Behold, I will open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you home into the land of Israel” (Ez 37:12). These prophetic words take on a singular value on Easter Day, because today the Creator’s promise is fulfilled; today, even in this modern age marked by anxiety and uncertainty, we relive the event of the Resurrection, which changed the face of our life and changed the history of humanity. From the risen Christ, all those who are still oppressed by chains of suffering and death look for hope, sometimes even without knowing it.

May the Spirit of the Risen one, in particular, bring relief and security in Africa to the peoples of Darfur, who are living in a dramatic humanitarian situation that is no longer sustainable; to those of the Great Lakes region, where many wounds have yet to be healed; to the peoples of the Horn of Africa, of the Ivory Coast, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other nations which aspire to reconciliation, justice and progress. In Iraq, may peace finally prevail over the tragic violence that continues mercilessly to claim victims. I also pray sincerely that those caught up in the conflict in the Holy Land may find peace, and I invite all to patient and persevering dialogue, so as to remove both ancient and new obstacles. May the international community, which re-affirms Israel’s just right to exist in peace, assist the Palestinian people to overcome the precarious conditions in which they live and to build their future, moving towards the constitution of a state that is truly their own. May the Spirit of the Risen one enkindle a renewed enthusiastic commitment of the Countries of Latin America, so that the living conditions of millions of citizens may be improved, the deplorable scourge of kidnapping may be eradicated and democratic institutions may be consolidated in a spirit of harmony and effective solidarity. Concerning the international crises linked to nuclear power, may an honourable solution be found for all parties, through serious and honest negotiations, and may the leaders of nations and of International Organizations be strengthened in their will to achieve peaceful coexistence among different races, cultures and religions, in order to remove the threat of terrorism.

May the Risen Lord grant that the strength of his life, peace and freedom be experienced everywhere. Today the words with which the Angel reassured the frightened hearts of the women on Easter morning are addressed to all: “Do not be afraid! ... He is not here; he is risen (Mt 28:5-6)”. Jesus is risen, and he gives us peace; he himself is peace. For this reason the Church repeats insistently: “Christ is risen - Christós anésti.” Let the people of the third millennium not be afraid to open their hearts to him. His Gospel totally quenches the thirst for peace and happiness that is found in every human heart. Christ is now alive and he walks with us. What an immense mystery of love! Christus resurrexit, quia Deus caritas est! Alleluia!

April 14, 2006

When Cartoons--And Publishers--Were Unafraid

Michelle Malkin has an excellent roundup of the blogosphere's reaction to the South Park episodes.

In the first of the two-part parts, a single character opposes the plan to bury everyone's head in the sand, and stands for free speech:

"Freedom of speech is at stake here, don't you all see? If anything, we should all make cartoons of Mohammed and show the terrorists and the extremists that we are all united in the belief that every person has a right to say what they want. Look people, it's been really easy for us to stand up for free speech lately. For the past few decades, we haven't had to risk anything to defend it. One of those times is right now. And if we aren't willing to risk what we have now, then we just believe in free speech, but won't defend it."

There was a time when cartoons--and their publishers--were unafraid to believe in free speech and defend it. Artists like David Low of England's Evening Standard, who lampooned Adolf Hitler so often and with such penetrating skill that he earned himself a stern warning from the British Foreign Secretary for disturbing the "sensitive" Anglo-German relationship of the 1930s, and a spot on the Gestapo's most-wanted-dead list (more cartoons here):

"Cause Precedes Effect"--European leaders march to Hitler's tune.

Hitler: "The scum of the Earth, I believe?"/Stalin: "The bloody assassin of the workers, I presume?"

Hitler marching on the "Spineless Leaders of Democracy" as pursues his rearmament and annexation plans.

Dr. Seuss levelled his cartoon artillery at Hitler, American isolationists, and appeasers as well. Hitler's overblown rhetoric and raving ideology provide the perfect fodder for Seuss' talent, and the "not our problem" isolationists are duly criticized for turning away from the clear and present danger that the totalitarian regimes represented. Appeasers, well, they get the "treatment" as well (more Dr. Seuss here):

"The Dictator"

"The Isolationist"

"The Appeaser"

Disney's anti-Nazi cartoon "Der Fuehrer's Face"--winner of the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 1943 (my, how times have changed!)--made good use of the humorous and catchy tune that gave the film its name, and filled the totalitarian world of the Nazi regime ("Nutzi Land") with the ubiquitous swastika and Hitler salute. Hirohito, Mussolini, and Göring make cameo appearances as they march to Donald Duck's house (resembling Hitler) to awake him for work producing shells for the "Fatherland". As Donald Duck completes his work under the oppressive control of the regime, where life is regulated and thought manipulated, and just about to lose all sense of self, he awakes to a miniature Statue of Liberty, and embraces it while giving thanks for being a citizen of the United States. The repressive ideology of Nazism was made to look as ridiculous as possible, and deservedly so:

Click here to watch the video--content NSFW. Warning--The cartoon reflects its era, and some might be put off by Hirohito's appearance (glasses, oversized teeth, green skin) and Göring's "effeminacy". With all of the Hitler salutes, swastikas, and having Donald Duck in Nazi uniform, it was pulled from circulation after the war, and this cartoon was only rereleased in 2004.

Hirohito, Mussolini, and Göring join the band.

Donald Duck is forced make shells, and give the Hitler salute.

Donald Duck embraces the Statue of Liberty, and give thanks for being a citizen of the good ol' US of A!

Unlike the recent Muslim riots made in response to the Danish cartoons, the works of Low, Dr. Seuss and Disney were not only created but published and widely distributed at the height of the war. While scores were killed and embassies were torched, the Muslim's tantrum pales in comparison to the carnage being wrought by WWII. Yet even admonitions by government officials and death threats (in the case of Low) were not enough to stop the publishing of these "offensive" cartoons. Millions subscribed to the totalitarian ideologies, and many millions more opposed these assaults on freedom.

Following in Low and Dr. Seuss' footsteps, South Park exposes the threat to freedom of speech from those who oppose it (the Islamists) and those who would succomb to hypocrisy and fear to avoid confrontation (Cowardly Central). Brilliant and vulgar, using the bully pulpit their success has brought them, Matt Stone and Trey Parker launch a salvo for free speech. Either everything is subject to scrutiny, and if necessary, ridicule--or nothing is. South Park makes this point effectively, and should be commended. Comedy Central should be ashamed--as it appears they would have rejected Low and Dr. Seuss had they been around seven decades ago.

April 12, 2006

Global Warming Proponents Create Climate Of Fear

Not surprising given that places like ivory tower academics and scientific communities would police dissenters and eliminate competition by denying them funding (grants, employment, etc.) Rather than attacking global warming critics and opening their own research up to withering scrutiny, they endorse the softer policy of quieting opposition through denial of resources, a fairly clever and successful ploy:

There have been repeated claims that this past year's hurricane activity was another sign of human-induced climate change. Everything from the heat wave in Paris to heavy snows in Buffalo has been blamed on people burning gasoline to fuel their cars, and coal and natural gas to heat, cool and electrify their homes. Yet how can a barely discernible, one-degree increase in the recorded global mean temperature since the late 19th century possibly gain public acceptance as the source of recent weather catastrophes? And how can it translate into unlikely claims about future catastrophes?

The answer has much to do with misunderstanding the science of climate, plus a willingness to debase climate science into a triangle of alarmism. Ambiguous scientific statements about climate are hyped by those with a vested interest in alarm, thus raising the political stakes for policy makers who provide funds for more science research to feed more alarm to increase the political stakes. After all, who puts money into science--whether for AIDS, or space, or climate--where there is nothing really alarming? Indeed, the success of climate alarmism can be counted in the increased federal spending on climate research from a few hundred million dollars pre-1990 to $1.7 billion today. It can also be seen in heightened spending on solar, wind, hydrogen, ethanol and clean coal technologies, as well as on other energy-investment decisions.

But there is a more sinister side to this feeding frenzy. Scientists who dissent from the alarmism have seen their grant funds disappear, their work derided, and themselves libeled as industry stooges, scientific hacks or worse. Consequently, lies about climate change gain credence even when they fly in the face of the science that supposedly is their basis.

April 10, 2006

ACLU Defeated For Opposing Free Speech

A federal judge has ordered an upstate New York school district to return bricks inscribed with Christian messages to a high school walkway, and a pro-family civil liberties attorney is praising the outcome as a victory against viewpoint discrimination.

The dispute arose after the Mexico Academy High School class of 1999 in Mexico, New York (Oswego County), sold bricks that could be inscribed with personal messages and included in a walkway as a fundraiser. However, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) complained that certain bricks, particularly those inscribed with the messages “Jesus Saves/John 3:16″ and “Jesus Christ, the only way,” constituted public school endorsement of Christianity.

The ACLU maintained that the bricks violated the so-called “separation of church and state,” and the group’s complaints prompted school officials to remove the contested bricks in 2000. Other bricks purchased by private individuals bore messages that referred to God or to local churches but were allowed to remain in place; only the bricks mentioning Jesus were taken out of the walkway.

Denver Immigration Candlelight Vigil

Overall a peaceful event, with mostly bland speakers reiterating their opposition to any legislation that does not automatically guarantee a path to citizenship for all illegal immigrants. The rally ended with a candle-lit march around the lake nearby.

It was nice to see a flag other than that of the U.S. upside down, even if unintentional.

The requisite sign at all immigration protests.

A few non-Hispanic supporters lent their platitudes to the cause.

What would a rally be without Che?

Fewer Mexican flags at this rally, but still flying prominently.

Forgot your Mexican flag? Want to show support for the cause with a red, white, and green light wand? Got a sweet tooth? At least they support Capitalism. . .

A local station that helped promote this and other similar events. The station's motto "Latino & Proud" is notably not in Spanish.

Global Warming Stopped In 1998

For many years now, human-caused climate change has been viewed as a large and urgent problem. In truth, however, the biggest part of the problem is neither environmental nor scientific, but a self-created political fiasco. Consider the simple fact, drawn from the official temperature records of the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, that for the years 1998-2005 global average temperature did not increase (there was actually a slight decrease, though not at a rate that differs significantly from zero).

Yes, you did read that right. And also, yes, this eight-year period of temperature stasis did coincide with society's continued power station and SUV-inspired pumping of yet more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

In response to these facts, a global warming devotee will chuckle and say "how silly to judge climate change over such a short period". Yet in the next breath, the same person will assure you that the 28-year-long period of warming which occurred between 1970 and 1998 constitutes a dangerous (and man-made) warming. Tosh. Our devotee will also pass by the curious additional facts that a period of similar warming occurred between 1918 and 1940, well prior to the greatest phase of world industrialisation, and that cooling occurred between 1940 and 1965, at precisely the time that human emissions were increasing at their greatest rate.

The author continued to explain that the greatest threat to humans would be a rapid cooling, not warming, of Earth's climate:

The essence of the issue is this. Climate changes naturally all the time, partly in predictable cycles, and partly in unpredictable shorter rhythms and rapid episodic shifts, some of the causes of which remain unknown. We are fortunate that our modern societies have developed during the last 10,000 years of benignly warm, interglacial climate. But for more than 90 per cent of the last two million years, the climate has been colder, and generally much colder, than today. The reality of the climate record is that a sudden natural cooling is far more to be feared, and will do infinitely more social and economic damage, than the late 20th century phase of gentle warming.

Meanwhile, a few thousand gathered in Grand Junction for the same purpose--“We are here for the right of equality.”

In the United States, equality means equality before the law, and not what socialists/liberals mean--equality of position (outcome). But in order to put one's self in good standing in that respect, it behooves them to arrive in this country legally. To see my sister and her fiancé struggle with immigration papers, paying steep application fees, subject to rather invasive questioning about their relationships--including correspondence, proof of contact (periods of time spent together), travel itineraries, and personal photos. All this for the three month visa--to allow time to get married--followed up by all the subsequent bureaucratic red tape. Needless to say, her man is not from a bordering country, but from England.

I can understand their current frustration as they attempt to jump all the necessary, legal, and appropriate hurdles in order for him to become a citizen of this country, while others simply wish to jump in front of the line claiming, disingenuously, "equality" or "civil rights". No in the world has a civil rights claim to legal status in this country, let alone any other country. Even asylum seekers must prove a reasonable claim to gain entry.

Immigration Photoshop Contest

An original WWII poster:

The current immigration debacle has prompted rallies, counter-demonstrations, political grandstanding, and heated emotions on all sides, not to mention countless blog entries, thoughtful commentary, and the requisite bloviations and platitudes by the "undocumented" crowd. What better way to defuse the situation than having a Photoshop contest?

Send Photoshop submissions to tabascoii-at-gmail-dot-com.

Include name/alias, your blog name and address (for linkage purposes), and your photo/caption as a jpeg file.

A Modest Proposal

Here's my immigration "compromise": We need to regularize the situation of the 298 million non-undocumented residents of the United States. Right now, we get a lousy deal compared with the 15 million fine upstanding members of the Undocumented American community. I think the 298 million of us in the overdocumented segment of the population should get the chance to be undocumented. You know when President Bush talks about all those undocumented people "living in the shadows"? Doesn't that sound kinda nice? Living in the shadows, no government agencies harassing you for taxes and numbers and paperwork.

Go ahead, try it. In Michelle Malkin's book Invasion, she recounts the tale of two fellows who in August 2001 pulled into a 7-Eleven parking lot in Falls Church, Va., in search of fake ID from the illegal-alien assistance network that hangs around there. Luis Martinez-Flores, who'd been living here illegally since 1994, took them along to the local DMV, supplied them with a fake address and falsely certified they lived there. The very next day, the two guys returned with two pals of their own, and used their own brand-new state ID on which the ink was not yet dry to obtain in turn brand-new state ID for their buddies. A couple of weeks later, all four of them used their Virginia ID to board American Airlines Flight 77 at Dulles Airport and plowed it into the Pentagon.

Think about that. From undocumented illegal alien in the 7-Eleven parking lot to lawful resident of the State of Virginia in just a couple of hours. Wow. Say what you like about Luis Martinez-Flores, but he runs one efficient operation.

By comparison, say you've got two kids under 5, and you'd like to bring over a nice English nanny to look after them. Name of Mary Poppins. Good references, impeccable character. If you apply now, there's a sporting chance the process may be completed before your children's children are in college.

Given that the new immigration "compromise" bill retrospectively approves all the millions of people who've been through the super-efficient Luis Martinez-Flores immigration system but without doing anything to improve the sclerotic U.S. government immigration system, maybe it would be better just to subcontract the entire operation to Senor Martinez-Flores and his colleagues. It would certainly be cheaper. . .

. . . How about "the jobs Americans won't do"? Most of them would be more accurately categorized as the jobs American employers won't hire Americans to do -- that's to say, in a business culture ever more onerously regulated, the immigration status of one's employees has become one of the easiest means of controlling costs. I see no reason why this would change, and given that, as a matter of policy, U.S. illegal-immigration law is not enforced by the U.S. government, it's hard to know why private employers should do it.

Newsflash--Kyoto Pointless

The conclusion, not of this blog, but of 60 leading scientists in a letter to new Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper:

Canada's new Conservative prime minister, Stephen Harper, has been urged by more than 60 leading international climate change experts to review the global warming policies he inherited from his centre-Left predecessor.

In an open letter that includes five British scientists among the signatories, the experts praise his recent commitment to review the controversial Kyoto protocol on reducing emissions harmful to the environment.

"Much of the billions of dollars earmarked for implementation of the protocol in Canada will be squandered without a proper assessment of recent developments in climate science," they wrote in the Canadian Financial Post last week.

They emphasised that the study of global climate change is, in Mr Harper's own words, an "emerging science" and added: "If, back in the mid 1990s, we knew what we know today about climate, Kyoto would almost certainly not exist, because we would have concluded it was not necessary." Despite claims to the contrary, there is no consensus among climate scientists on the relative importance of the various causes of global climate change, they wrote.

"'Climate change is real' is a meaningless phrase used repeatedly by activists to convince the public that a climate catastrophe is looming and humanity is the cause. Neither of these fears is justified.

"Global climate changes all the time due to natural causes and the human impact still remains impossible to distinguish from this natural 'noise'."

The letter is the latest effort by climate change sceptics to counter claims that there is a consensus that human activity is causing global warming.

Massive Immigration Rallies Sunday and Monday

Organizers estimate that up to 2 million supporters will participate in more than 100 activities today across the country, including Denver, to push for fair immigration policies that reflect the contributions of illegal immigrants.

"This is certainly a grass-roots-led event. There are hundreds of cities across the country that are having this happen," said Avril Smith, a spokesman for the National Capital Immigrant Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based group that developed the National Day of Action concept and helped organize rallies across the U.S.

"We're calling on Congress to pass a comprehensive reform that makes our country more secure and raises standards for all working people in this country," Smith said.

In Denver, a candlelight vigil is scheduled at 7 p.m. at Sloan's Lake, according to Julieta Quinonez, 19, of Jovenes Unidos, or United Youths, who have promoted the event on the bilingual radio station Mega 95.7 FM. The vigil is to remember those who have died crossing the border.

Power Line has an interesting idea for an experiment in citizen journalism--bloggers infiltrating the rallies and providing the news that the MSM will not provide. Slapstick Politics will be there.

WESTMINSTER - People gathered in the rain Friday morning to wave Old Glory, hand out American-flag T-shirts to students and cheer the lifting of a ban on certain types of clothing at Shaw Heights Middle School.

Most of the students accepted the free T-shirts, but some Hispanic students declined, saying they feared they'd be the targets of overly exuberant patriotism.

George Straface, superintendent of the Adams County 50 School District, said the six students suspended while the ban was in effect will be dealt with in two different ways. Those suspended for taunting others will keep the incident on their records. But those suspended for wearing banned clothing will have their suspensions erased.

SP Approved:

Contributors

Want to contribute? Visit our store for conservative gear for 2008!"A lot of guys yearning for adventure and romance would give their left one to be referred to in print as a man "who identified himself only as 'El Presidente.'" Nobody, for example, is ever going to refer to me as a man who "identified himself only as El Presidente." You bastard."--Drunkablog